Osama’s Will Reveals How He Wanted His Millions Spent

(NEWSER) – Osama bin Laden set aside money for his relatives, but the majority of his fortune—including $29 million in Sudan—was to be spent “on jihad, for the sake of Allah,” according to his just-released will. The handwritten document was one of hundreds seized during the 2011 raid that killed the al-Qaeda leader and not the only one that shows he believed his death could be imminent, reports the AP. “If I am to be killed, pray for me a lot and give continuous charities in my name, as I will be in great need for support to reach the permanent home,” he wrote in a 2008 letter to his father, released Tuesday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Some of the 112 other documents show al-Qaeda was struggling to find competent leaders and resources and was becoming increasingly paranoid, reports Reuters.

In one letter, bin Laden warns aides that a suitcase carrying a ransom payment may have a tracking chip. (He was suspicious of dentists for similar reasons.) In another, he tells aides not to leave their home in Pakistan “except on a cloudy overcast day,” suggesting he was afraid of US drones. Yet another describes how the terrorist group executed four alleged spies only to discover they were likely innocent, officials say. Still, bin Laden’s commitment to global jihad never faltered. “We need to extend and develop our operations in America and not keep it limited to blowing up airplanes,” he apparently wrote to an aide in Yemen. One of the more peculiar reads comes via an application for new recruits. “Who should we contact in case you become a martyr?” one question reads, per the New York Times. More documents are to be released later this year